Rubel: The death of anti-Semitism

February 21, 2012|By Glenn Rubel, Florida Jewish Journal

During a recent forum on anti-Semitism, sponsored by the Jewish Journal and the Sun-Sentinel, a vitally important issue was raised regarding effective ways post-Holocaust survivor era Jews ought to respond to those who continue to hate Jews.

I suggested that since there will soon be no survivors to testify about the evil they experienced during the Holocaust, the Jewish community must dramatically escalate the power and emotion of the words we choose to counter those who hate Jews. The term "anti-Semitism" is too imprecise and lacks emotional impact for those unfamiliar with the Holocaust. It may surprise readers to learn that the term "anti-Semitism" was actually coined in 1880 by a German, Jew-hating, journalist, sociologist, named Wilhelm Marr, who intended to make the idea of Jew-hatred more antiseptic and benign.

Why should we continue to use this mockingly immoral euphemistic term and expect it to illicit horror and moral outrage about the unjust ways Jews and Israel are treated. Continuing to use cloudy, unemotionally unmoving words to describe the deep hatred that stalks Jews gives homage to Wilhelm Marr's vile intent. Therefore, I suggest we abort use of the term "anti-Semitism" in what we say write and unambiguously label all those who hate us as Jew-haters.

Throwing the term "anti-Semitism" onto the ash heap of history is proper. Most Jews aren't even Semites. Although it will, unfortunately, not end hatred against Jews, it will not allow the likes of Helen Thomas to speak venom against Jews and then protest how she cannot be an anti-Semite because she is Lebanese. A Jewish teaching explains that evil will be will be defeated only when it recognizes itself as evil. Thusly, we must aggressively confront Jew-haters with their true name and not let the world deny or ignore the fact that all hostility and prejudice against Jews, religious, political, cultural, racial, social or economic, is Jew-hatred.

Jew-haters are those who historically and presently call for the destruction of the Jewish people, who openly or secretly promote replacement theology, who deny the Shoah, who wish to delegitimize or destroy Israel, who won't accept Israel as a Jewish state and who apply double standards to Jews and Israel they would never apply to themselves or others. Ambiguity has not served Jews well; so, let's replace it with complete transparency and give unto our enemies the label they deserve. Anyone, Christian, Muslim, even Jews who embrace any of the above are not anti-Semitic; they are Jew-haters. The words we choose will have the greatest power and impact when there is no doubt about their meaning.

If the terms "diversity, tolerance, justice and fairness" are to have serious meaning, they must be applied equally to Jews. We are a people small in number, who have brought great moral teachings and untold goodness to the world. No one should feel it's OK to tell Jews how we should pray, what we must believe, or where we may live. We have been given a small patch of land that is our haven. While some may choose not to accept the biblical narrative for the creation of a Jewish state, the historical facts are incontrovertible. In 1920, after World War I, when the Ottoman Empire was defeated and broken up, 99 percent of the territory went to the Arabs. A scant 1 percent of the land, the size of New Jersey, went to the Jews. Yet, today many would reduce further the size of Israel, tell Jews where they may live in their own country and compromise the security of Jewish citizens. This tragic betrayal and monumental injustice should horrify the world. Instead, much of the world and many members of the United Nations buy into deceitful narratives that call for the extermination of Jews and the Jewish state.

So much for, "Never Again." In a perverse world, our best tactic is to win allies and help evil recognize itself. If we are to win against our enemies we must choose words whose meanings are crystal clear. For reasons beyond our control, we have been chosen to lead the war against history's most vicious and enduring hatred. We cannot fail.